Bill Text: IL HB2825 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Election Code. Provides that, no later than 183 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the State Board of Elections shall adopt rules authorizing election authorities and local election officials to establish procedures under which digital voter signatures may be collected for nominating, candidate, and referendum petitions. Provides that those rules shall provide that any election authority or local election official may provide or supply electronic devices for the collection of digital voter signatures on petitions. Provides that the electronic devices, whether or not they are supplied by an election authority or local election official, may be capable of allowing a person to access and use the online voter registration system established under specified provisions of the Code. Makes conforming changes.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-02-16 - Referred to Rules Committee [HB2825 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB2825-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB2825 Introduced , by Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
10 ILCS 5/1-3 from Ch. 46, par. 1-3
10 ILCS 5/1-13
10 ILCS 5/1-13.5 new
Amends the Election Code. Provides that, no later than 183 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the State Board of Elections shall adopt rules authorizing election authorities and local election officials to establish procedures under which digital voter signatures may be collected for nominating, candidate, and referendum petitions. Provides that those rules shall provide that any election authority or local election official may provide or supply electronic devices for the collection of digital voter signatures on petitions. Provides that the electronic devices, whether or not they are supplied by an election authority or local election official, may be capable of allowing a person to access and use the online voter registration system established under specified provisions of the Code. Makes conforming changes.
LRB103 27257 BMS 57419 b
A BILL FOR
HB2825 LRB103 27257 BMS 57419 b
AN ACT concerning elections.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
Sections 1-3 and 1-13 and by adding Section 1-13.5 as follows:
(10 ILCS 5/1-3) (from Ch. 46, par. 1-3)
Sec. 1-3. As used in this Act, unless the context
otherwise requires:
1. "Election" includes the submission of all questions of
public policy, propositions, and all measures submitted to
popular vote, and includes primary elections when so indicated
by the context.
2. "Regular election" means the general, general primary,
consolidated and consolidated primary elections regularly
scheduled in Article 2A. The even numbered year municipal
primary established in Article 2A is a regular election only
with respect to those municipalities in which a primary is
required to be held on such date.
3. "Special election" means an election not regularly
recurring at fixed intervals, irrespective of whether it is
held at the same time and place and by the same election
officers as a regular election.
4. "General election" means the biennial election at which

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members of the General Assembly are elected. "General primary
election", "consolidated election" and "consolidated primary
election" mean the respective elections or the election dates
designated and established in Article 2A of this Code.
5. "Municipal election" means an election or primary,
either regular or special, in cities, villages, and
incorporated towns; and "municipality" means any such city,
village or incorporated town.
6. "Political or governmental subdivision" means any unit
of local government, or school district in which elections are
or may be held. "Political or governmental subdivision" also
includes, for election purposes, Regional Boards of School
Trustees, and Township Boards of School Trustees.
7. The word "township" and the word "town" shall apply
interchangeably to the type of governmental organization
established in accordance with the provisions of the Township
Code. The term "incorporated town" shall mean a municipality
referred to as an incorporated town in the Illinois Municipal
Code, as now or hereafter amended.
8. "Election authority" means a county clerk or a Board of
Election Commissioners.
9. "Election Jurisdiction" means (a) an entire county, in
the case of a county in which no city board of election
commissioners is located or which is under the jurisdiction of
a county board of election commissioners; (b) the territorial
jurisdiction of a city board of election commissioners; and

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(c) the territory in a county outside of the jurisdiction of a
city board of election commissioners. In each instance
election jurisdiction shall be determined according to which
election authority maintains the permanent registration
records of qualified electors.
10. "Local election official" means the clerk or secretary
of a unit of local government or school district, as the case
may be, the treasurer of a township board of school trustees,
and the regional superintendent of schools with respect to the
various school officer elections and school referenda for
which the regional superintendent is assigned election duties
by The School Code, as now or hereafter amended.
11. "Judges of election", "primary judges" and similar
terms, as applied to cases where there are 2 sets of judges,
when used in connection with duties at an election during the
hours the polls are open, refer to the team of judges of
election on duty during such hours; and, when used with
reference to duties after the closing of the polls, refer to
the team of tally judges designated to count the vote after the
closing of the polls and the holdover judges designated
pursuant to Section 13-6.2 or 14-5.2. In such case, where,
after the closing of the polls, any act is required to be
performed by each of the judges of election, it shall be
performed by each of the tally judges and by each of the
holdover judges.
12. "Petition" of candidacy as used in Sections 7-10 and

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7-10.1 shall consist of a statement of candidacy, candidate's
statement containing oath, and sheets containing signatures of
qualified primary electors bound together.
13. "Election district" and "precinct", when used with
reference to a 30-day residence requirement, means the
smallest constituent territory in which electors vote as a
unit at the same polling place in any election governed by this
Act.
14. "District" means any area which votes as a unit for the
election of any officer, other than the State or a unit of
local government or school district, and includes, but is not
limited to, legislative, congressional and judicial districts,
judicial circuits, county board districts, municipal and
sanitary district wards, school board districts, and
precincts.
15. "Question of public policy" or "public question" means
any question, proposition or measure submitted to the voters
at an election dealing with subject matter other than the
nomination or election of candidates and shall include, but is
not limited to, any bond or tax referendum, and questions
relating to the Constitution.
16. "Ordinance providing the form of government of a
municipality or county pursuant to Article VII of the
Constitution" includes ordinances, resolutions and petitions
adopted by referendum which provide for the form of
government, the officers or the manner of selection or terms

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of office of officers of such municipality or county, pursuant
to the provisions of Sections 4, 6 or 7 of Article VII of the
Constitution.
17. "List" as used in Sections 4-11, 4-22, 5-14, 5-29,
6-60, and 6-66 shall include a computer tape or computer disc
or other electronic data processing information containing
voter information.
18. "Accessible" means accessible to persons with
disabilities and elderly individuals for the purpose of voting
or registration, as determined by rule of the State Board of
Elections.
19. "Elderly" means 65 years of age or older.
20. "Person with a disability" means a person having a
temporary or permanent physical disability.
21. "Leading political party" means one of the two
political parties whose candidates for governor at the most
recent three gubernatorial elections received either the
highest or second highest average number of votes. The
political party whose candidates for governor received the
highest average number of votes shall be known as the first
leading political party and the political party whose
candidates for governor received the second highest average
number of votes shall be known as the second leading political
party.
22. "Business day" means any day in which the office of an
election authority, local election official or the State Board

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of Elections is open to the public for a minimum of 7 hours.
23. "Homeless individual" means any person who has a
nontraditional residence, including, but not limited to, a
shelter, day shelter, park bench, street corner, or space
under a bridge.
24. "Signature" means a name signed in ink or in digitized
form. Except as otherwise provided in Section 1-13.5, this
This definition does not apply to a nominating or candidate
petition or a referendum petition.
25. "Intelligent mail barcode tracking system" means a
printed trackable barcode attached to the return business
reply envelope for mail-in ballots under Article 19 or Article
20 that allows an election authority to determine the date the
envelope was mailed in absence of a postmark.
(Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15; 99-522, eff. 6-30-16.)
(10 ILCS 5/1-13)
Sec. 1-13. Forms of signature. The making and signing of
any form, including an application to register, a certificate
authorizing cancellation of a registration or authorizing a
transfer of registration, an application to vote, a
provisional ballot, or affidavit, but not including a
nominating or candidate petition or a referendum petition, may
be by a signature written in ink or in digitized form. Except
as otherwise provided in Section 1-13.5, the making and
signing of forms under this Section does not include the

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signing of a nominating or candidate petition or a referendum
petition.
(Source: P.A. 99-522, eff. 6-30-16.)
(10 ILCS 5/1-13.5 new)
Sec. 1-13.5. Authorization of digital signatures on
nominating, candidate, and referendum petitions. No later than
183 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
103rd General Assembly, the State Board of Elections shall
adopt rules authorizing election authorities and local
election officials to establish procedures under which digital
voter signatures may be collected for nominating, candidate,
and referendum petitions. Those rules shall provide that any
election authority or local election official may provide or
supply electronic devices for the collection of digital voter
signatures on petitions. The electronic devices, whether or
not they are supplied by an election authority or local
election official, may be capable of allowing a person to
access and use the online voter registration system
established under Section 1A-16.5.